Mother's Milk

One wonders (worries) how someone comes up with these things! I wish I could narrow down the reasoning behind my streaming this film from a vast array of titles. I am not a scary movie person - and my favorite films don't have much in common with this dark little film. However, it was inexpensive on iTunes and listed as a drama even though it looked like a horror.

I am big on searching out films that I have never heard of however. And there were some real surprises included in this unique and disturbing film.

First of all - although it only runs an hour and a half, its quite the ordeal. Its one of those films that doesn't take up much of your time, but it feels like it takes up a ton of your time. That comes from a mixture of it being pretty slow-paced at times, and also because the tension ratchets up and up and UP throughout the film. By the end I had to fight the nerve to get up and walk out and to put my hand down from my mouth because I had chewed off my fingernails.

It's a slow build - but it does have a pay off.

I will say I did NOT care for the end of the film, however I will give the screenwriter credit for the fact that it took a turn that I never saw coming.

This writer/director, Edward Pionke, I must believe is a somewhat disturbed man to have created such a realistic and often brutal film about love and entrapment. It is very well written and I would be interested to see where else he could go as a filmmaker, as it looks like he has more films coming down the pike.

The acting is on point as well. Although I feel the film could have really challenged its audience by eliminating all of the side-characters who do nothing to forward the plot anyhow and just have two characters (like Van Sant's "Gerry"). I feel that is the approach the characters (and actors) needed to really have pushed this over the edge. However I think you would be hard pressed to find acting this good in a movie with a budget this small (I can only guess). The lead Casey Chapman gives one of the most unique and odd yet thrilling and exciting performances I've seen in a while. Mackenzie Wiglesworth forms a perfect pair, and the chemistry they share on screen is pretty special.

There is a scene or two however that are so over-the-top that almost ruin the film. One is pure pornography and the other involves on screen vomiting in a way that you have never seen before and hopefully will never see again. This was simply not needed, as neither scene pushed the story forward in any way.

It's a movie I recommend with trepidation. I enjoyed it surprisingly so, but I could see people really not liking it. To each their own I say. In the end I think its the work of a talented writer/director who seems to be interested in making a different kind of movie, and that I can admire.

I saw "Mothers Milk" last week via the SoCal film festival. I really knew nothing about it going in, as it was a part of a ticket package I bought. I decided last minute to watch it, as I had time to kill - and I am glad I made the move. The story is pretty disturbing. It's about a man named Claude who kidnaps women and traps them in his basement in order to fill his childhood fetish.

The movie basically takes place in one room. I could see some people thinking the movie is a bit slow moving, but there is a big payoff. It's really all about the actor who plays Claude (Casey Chapman). This is a performance that could hold up with anything being buzzed about currently for awards this season. He takes a character that is so disturbing, so disgusting, and so unlikeable and makes him sympathetic. There are points in the movie where I caught myself disagreeing with his victim at points, which shocked me as a woman.

Glad that I attend smaller festivals, as you can find hidden gems like this that are just as good (if not better) than what you will see in one of the bigger festivals in the US. I will keep my eye out for films from this writer and director (Edward Pionke) as well.

I honestly never write bad reviews, unless I absolutely feel like the movie deserves it. I might as well start with the good: Curiosity got me hooked until the end, as I expected some crazy twist that might redeem the overall quality of the movie. I was let down completely with an "open to interpretations" end, however it was not the ending that disappointed me the most. The story itself is original and worth a try, but the quality of the cinematography, editing, acting and directing really fail to do it justice. The acting clearly fails from the script on, and while we might be able to feel connected to the characters in some way or another, their choice of words and actions often make them seem like robots. And the special effects where lousy even for an indie low budget film. It's not a fantastic movie, it's not even good, but it might have flown under the radar had It not been for all these ridiculous reviews left on its IMDB page.

However, if you take it as what it truly is, a bad movie, and try not to take it too seriously, you might actually enjoy the experience of sitting through all the inconsistencies.

All of the exaggerated over the top nonsense reviews of this film made me laugh...

These people must have worked on or know the people who were responsible for making this "thing" as i cant see any other reason for such high ratings.

I made my account to do my very own honest and real reviews after reading so many idiotic reviews on terrible movies over and over on this site.

Do not waste your time with this movie, the simplest and quickest way to sum it up in one word is (Rubbish)

End of

I like "smart" horror films – and I got one.

Mother's Milk is about the psychological unraveling of a deeply troubled teacher (Claude,) who fights personal demons that he's no match for.

Claude is a character study in "quiet/mild-mannered" meets "savage brutality" (with a little bit of Anthony Hopkins-esque "sexy" thrown in). A young woman (Mackenzie Wiglesworth as Kim Rodgers) is abducted by Claude early in the film. Despite the odds (I think only "Beauty" ended up with "The Beast") – you hope somehow love will conquer all.

In my favorite scene, Claude becomes a petulant five-year old when a dish he serves isn't embraced by his captive. A war of wills ensues, and oddly - you find yourself somehow championing Claude's culinary dictatorship. Here the director is absolutely skilled in capturing the right balance of tension and comic relief in the tug-of-wills between Claude and Kim.

But what anchors the terror of the story - is an at first quiet, then frenetic build to a horrifying scene which I still can't get out of my head (no spoiler alert here – you've got to see it to appreciate this level of "disturbing"). I couldn't look, but I couldn't look away.